>> Monday, January 5, 2015

I’m approaching the year with a series of small exercises that I think will help keep me happy, sane, and motivated to be well in all areas of my life. I tried my best to keep my list short and attainable. And I’d love to hear if you have any of these same goals!

Be Grateful

If you haven’t noticed already, I get caught up in the half empty side of things more often than not. I’m blessed in many ways and could really use some work on my positive thinking. So, instead of making a sweeping goal of “being more positive” in the new year, I’ve started a journal where I intend to write a short entry each day (a few sentences to a paragraph or so) on the people, places, and things that are the light in my life. I’m hoping through the act of writing, I might better connect with my internal positivity in a more tangible way.

Be Well

Those six years of resolutions showed me that I’ve never gotten a handle on the eating habits that irk me the most. Namely, sugar. I’ve made some incredible strides by striving to eat lower glycemic foods. However, part of being well is also gaining more confidence in my own skin. I plan to write a post soon about how I’m finding better peace at the weight I’m at now. However, that doesn’t mean I’m not a still a work-in-progress. I’ve gained an additional 10 pounds since September due to various stuff, and I’d like to (slowly) chip away at losing some of that weight just by continuing better habits versus dieting or detoxing.

Be Organized

I function infinitely better when my home is clean and organized. When my inbox isn’t piled up with unread messages. When my financial obligations -- bills, taxes, etc. -- are out out envelopes or scheduled in advance. In 2015, I will do one thing each day to improve either the cleanliness, organization, or overall function of our household. This could be something as small as taking five minutes to recycle all the piled up junk mail to something bigger, like finishing my office. Breaking large tasks into small chunks will assure I can get it accomplished. I also want to create a general cleaning calendar for routine tasks, like laundry.

Be Active

But not in the athletic sense. I want to do more with my time. A lot of it is tied up with work or being a mom, but I definitely have a free hour or two I could be using more wisely. At least one night a week, I want to stop watching our usual shows and do something different. It could be working on a project, putting additional time into my writing, going out and trying a class, volunteering, etc. By mid-year, I’d like to shift that to two or three nights each week. To help, I would like to start getting up earlier in the morning. This goal is still in formation.

Be Creative

I’ve started to write on the side of my, well, writing. I submitted a creative essay I wrote to a local magazine, and it’s going to be published! It’s this sort of creativity I want to continue. I get a lot out of writing, so rather than continually trudge forward with countless articles and blog posts (I’ll keep those, too) -- I want to take time to let my more creative side through and create more personal work. I’d like to research a couple more publishing opportunities (likely magazines) in the new year.

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